The Cambodia Herald
Cambodia has been
heavily criticized for failing to issue a joint statement as chairman of last
week's annual meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers. Critics have noted that it
was the first time in 45 years that no statement was issued, raising questions
over Cambodia's current chairmanship of ASEAN and the future the association
itself.
Before the ASEAN
ministers met, senior officials of the 10 countries drafted a code of conduct
for the South China Sea. Elements of the draft were shown to China, which has
overlapping territorial claims in the sea with ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia,
the Philippines and Vietnam.
As the ministers met, heated debates took place over the
wording of the joint statement. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong
blamed inappropriate language during the meeting, with the Philippines
mentioning the disputed Scarborough Shoal and Vietnam referring to its
exclusive economic zone.
Tensions spilled over
out of the meeting room into lunches and dinners, reflecting poorly on
Cambodia's chairmanship. Ministers duly expressed their disappointment,
triggering an onslaught of negative coverage by the international media.
Some analysts said
Cambodia was acting in its own interests as it wanted to avoid offending
leading donor China. According to Hor Namong, however, Cambodia was merely
being neutral. "Cambodia does not support one country and walk over
another," he said. "Cambodia is not a judge. I told my colleagues
that Cambodia may be chairing the meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers but it is
not acting as judge to decide winners and losers, whose islands and whose
sea."
The Philippines, the loudest critic, should stop
pointing its finger at Cambodia for failing to muster ASEAN forces to defend
Philippine interests against those of China. When Cambodia appealed for ASEAN's
intervention in its border dispute with Thailand, its bigger and more powerful
neighbor, the two countries were told to solve the problem themselves. Few
ASEAN members wanted to risk jeopardizing their relations with Thailand
